Assorting apparatus for conveyer systems



Nov. 3, 1925. 1,560,480

. J. G. MACLAREN ASSORTING APPARATUS FOR CONVEYER SYSTEMS Filed Feb. 21.1925 N M I 53 I t/avzea @Miareir Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES G. MACLAIYEN, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON COM-PANY, 0F SYRACUSE, NEXV YORK, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

ASSORTING APPARATUS FOR CONVEYER SYSTEMS.

Application filed February 21, 1925.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES Gr. MACLAREN, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga andState of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Assorting Apparatus for Conveyer Systems, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention pertains to conveyer systems and more particularly toselecting'or assorting apparatus for separating articles of difierentclasses, while in transit over the conveyer system, into groups inaccordance with their respective classes.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a selectingor asserting apparatus of extremely simple form and construction, yetwithal rugged and durable and capable in a thoroughly reliable manner ofassorting moving articles in accordance with the configurations of theiradvancing ends.

For purposes of illustration I have chosen to describe my invention asembodied in a pneumatic despatch system wherein carriers are moved byair pressure through a transmission tube, such carriers being dividedinto classes havingheads of difi'erent configuration. For example theheads of one class may be fiat and those of another class may beprovided with central recesses, in accordance with the particular kindof transaction for which they are designed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodimentof the invention by way of example, and in such drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved selector;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the selector, showing in dottedlines a carrier with recessed head at the instant of its engagement withthe selector mechanism and also at a later stage in the operation;

Fig. 3 is a section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and 7 Fig.4: is a section similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the action of aflat-headed carrier in passing through the selecting mechanism.

My improved selector comprises a housing of tubular form having flanges50 and 50 at its upper and lower ends respec tively providingconvenientmeans for at- Serial No. 10,833.

taching it to the end of a tube section or sec- I tions, for example thesection 50. This housing is provided intermediate its ends with alateral delivery opening l0 preferably guarded upon opposite sides bysubstantially parallel wings 4:1 and 42 respectively. The housing 50flisalso furnished with a vertical slot 43 diametrally opposite to theopening 10 and preferably arranged with its upper end slightly above theplane of the lower edge of the opening 40.

A combined detect-or and abutment desig nated by the numeral 51,normally projects inwardly through the slot 10 into the path of carriersmoving longitudinally through the housing 50. This abutment terminatesat its inner end in a projection or detector finger 52 normally disposedsubstantially at the axis to the carrier path and projecting above thestraight and normally horizontal upper edge of the body of the abutmentto a distance slightly less than the depth of the recess in the head ofa recessed carrier.

The abutment 51 is pivoted at 51 between the upper ends of a pair ofparallel legs 53 which in turn are pivoted to a pin 54 sup ported by apair of ears 55 projecting from the housing 50 near the lower end of theslot 43. The abutment 51 and the legs 53 are normally retained in theposition shown in Fig. 2 by means of a spring 56' or equivalent device.I

At the upper, outer end of the abutment 51 a projection 57 is providedwhich normally engages the outer surface of the housing 50. A. pin 58sufficiently long to engage the rear edges of the legs 53 projectstromthe opposite sides of the abutment 51 at its lower end. With thisarrangement the spring 56 tends to hold the projection 57 against theouter surface of the housing 50 with the pin 58 hearing against the legs53, thusretaining the abutment 51 in carrier receiving position.

When a carrier having a recessed head encounters the abutment 51 thelatter remains substantially in its normal position, as the force of theblow of the rim of the carrier is applied directly over the pivot 51 andas the point of contact of the carrier with the abutment is between theprojection 52 and the inner wall of the tube, and to one side of thecenter of gravity of the carrier, the latter is caused to tip sidewiseout through the opening 40 as indicated in dotted lines at 69. On theother hand a carrier having a fiat or other suitably shaped head willstrike the detector projection 52 of the abutment and will thus revolvethe latter about its pivot 51, and because the projection 57 is inengagement with the outer Wall of the housing 50 the abutment 51 willmove bodily from out of the tube into the position shown in Fig. 4, thuspermitting such a flatheaded carrier 70 to continue on through thehousing and into the distributing ter nal.

The device thus provided is of exceedingly simple form and yetperformsits function with all desired speed and accuracy. As no latches or otherlocking means are used there is little chance for the parts to jam orstick, while the cost of production, as compared with prior devices ofmore complex character, is very low.

Although I have shown and described one specific embodiment of theinvention 1 wish it to be understood that the exact shapes andproportions of parts herein disclosed are not necessarily essential butthat various changes, rearrangements and substitutions may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention. 1

I claim: 7 M V 1. A carrier sorting device for carrier A despatchsystems comprising a tube for directing carriers, an abutment normallyprojecting into the tube, and means for pivotally supporting theabutment, said abutmentv being so shaped that carriers of one kindengage it at a point substantially in the vertical plane of its fulcrumand carriers of another kind engage it at a point laterally removed fromits fulcrum.

2. A carrier sorting deviceifor carrier despatch systems comprising atube for directing carriers, an abutment normally projecting into thetube, and amovable fulcrum for the abutment, the abutment being soshaped" that carriers of one type engage it at a point adjacent totheaxis of the tube and that other carriers engage it at a pointintermediate the axis and the wall. of the tube.

3,; A sorting device'for carrier despatch systems comprisinga tube fordirecting carriers, an-V abutment normally projecting into the path ofcarriers moving through the tube, and movable means for; pivotallysupporting the abutment, the abutment being so shaped that carriers ofone configuration engage it at a point" further fromgits fulcrum thancarriers of. another configuration, and means constraining said abutmentto move bodily from out of the tube when engaged by carriersv of thefirst kind.

4. A sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising a tubefordirecting carriers, an abutment normally projecting into the pathofcarriers moving along the tube, a supporting; fulcrum for the abutmentmovof the tube and moving bodily from out the tube when a carrierengages the end of said finger.

6. A carrier sorting device for separating A carriers having recessedheads from other types of carriers comprising a carrier guiding tube andan abutment normally project ing into .the tube and terminating in aprojecting detector finger disposed substantially axially of the tubeand directed toward approaching carriers, the finger I being spacedfromthe wall of'the tube, a. stop carried by the abutment engaging theouter wall of the tube, and means pivotally sup- 7 porting the abutmentto swing about an axis such that when engaged by a carrier havingarecessed head the abutment remains substantially in normal positionwhereby the energy of translation of the carrier is converted intoenergy of rotation. about its point of engagement with the abutment as acenter.

7. A sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising an abutmentnormally projecting into the path of the carriers, a fulcrum for saidabutment-normally positioned within saidpath" but movable laterallytherefrom, means tending to move the fulcrum into said path, and meansfor limiting such movement. 8. A sorting device for carrier despatchsystems comprising, an abutment having; a

detector member normally disposedsubstantially at the central axis ofthe path of. travel of the carriers and having a stop elementpositionedoutsideof said path, a fulcrum for the abutment intermediatesaid detector memberan-d stop element, a spring tending, to swing, thefulcrum inwardly across said: path, and a fixed member engaging saidstop element.

9. A. sorting device; for carrier despatch systems comprising a tube fordirecting carriers, an abutment project-ing into the tube through anopening in the wall of the latter, a movable fulcrum for the abutmentnormally positioned inside the tube, and a stop member upon the abutmentengaghmgj the outer surfaceof the wall of the tube.

10; A sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising a tube fordirecting carriers, said tube having an opening in side i Wall, anabutment projecting into the tube through said opening, said abutmenthaving a detector finger normally disposed adjacent to the axis of thetube and a stop lug engaging the outer surface of the tube, a fulcrumfor the abutment at a point intermediate said finger and lug, and apivotally supported lever carrying said fulcrun'i.

11.. A sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising a tube fordirecting carriers, said tube having a longitudinally disposed slot inits side wall, an abutment projecting into the tube through the upperpart of such slot, a lever pivoted at its lower end near the bottom ofthe slot, a fulcrum for the abutment adjacent to the upper end of thelever, said fulcrum normally being disposed inside the tube, stop meansto limit inward movement of said fulcrum, and a detector fingerprojecting from the abut ment in position to be engaged by carriers of acertain class thereby to move the abutment bodily out through the slotin the tube.

12. A sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising a tube fordirecting carriers, an abutment projecting into the tube through anopening in the wall of the latter, said abutment having a detectorfinger normally disposed adjacent to the axis of the tube and a stop lugengaging the outer surface of the tube, a movable fulcrum for theabutment disposed substantially midway between the detector finger andstop lug,

and a spring tending to move said fulcrum 7 toward the axis of the tube.

13. A sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising a tube fordirecting carriers, an abutment projecting into the tube through anopening in the wall of the latter, said abutment having a detectorfinger normally disposed adjacent to the axis of the tube and a stop lugengaging the outer surface of the tube, a lever pivotally secured at oneend to the abutment at a point intermediate the detector finger and stoplug, said lever being pivotally mounted at its opposite end. at a pointadjacent to the wall of the tube, and a stop carried by the abutment andnormally engaging the lever at a point intermediate the ends of thelatter.

14. A sorting device for carrier despatch systems comprising a tube fordirecting carriers, said tube having an elongate longitudinal slot inits wall, an abutment disposed adjacent to the upper end of said slot,the abutment projecting into the tube and having a detector finger atits inner end normally disposed adjacent to the axis of the tube, a stopfinger at the outer end of the abutment engaging the outer surface ofthe tube, a lever pivoted at one end near the lower end of the slot, afulcrum pin connecting the opposite end of the lever to the abutment ata point intermediate the detector finger and stop lug, a spring tendingto swing the upper end of the lever toward the axis of the tube, and astop pin carried by the abutment and engaging the outer edge of thelever at a point substantially midway between the ends of the latter.

Signed by me at Syracuse, New York, this 19th day of February, 1925.

JAMES G. MACLAREN.

